


Just Close Your Eyes

by Puns4eva



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphys needs to realize he needs a hug, Forgive Me, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Pap needs a hug, Papyrus Knows More Than He Lets On, Sans Being An Asshole, Sans Doesn't Remember Crap, Sans needs to shut up and give him one, Temporary Character Death, Undyne needs to slap Papyrus, cursing, tbd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-29 22:05:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12094410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puns4eva/pseuds/Puns4eva
Summary: Papyrus knows that Sans has problems, he knows that Undyne has problems, that Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, and Flowey have their respective problems too. He tries not to think about his own. But sometimes, you have to stand up and face them, even if you remember falling down every time you try.





	1. Stupid, Stupid, STUPID!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick prologue of sorts. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I saw a drawing of Papyrus, and I wanted to write about it. So yeah. Enjoy.

     Papyrus sat up, rubbing his eyes. He swung his legs over the bed, almost stumbling. He caught himself, blinking to clear the blurriness. Papyrus made quick work of the stairs, going to the coffee machine. He plugged it in, looking in the pantry for more coffee beans.

     "What are you doing up?"

     Papyrus almost shouted, pressing a hand to his ribs. He whipped around with an awkward smile on his face. Sans squinted at him, cover drawn around him like a makeshift cloak.

    "I was, um, m-making coffee for you!" Papyrus blurted, looking away from his brother. Sans laughed and Papyrus relaxed, thinking that Sans was just going to let it go.

     " _At three in the morning_?" Papyrus held his breath. This was about as far as the lie went. Papyrus whined, staring at the ground. The tile was cold against his bare bones, as cold as this silence was. The taller shrunk back as his brother's feet clicked against the tile, slowly approaching.

_Click,_

_Clack,_

_Click,_

_Clack,_

_Click,_

_Clack,_

_Click._

     Papyrus blinked as he felt Sans' hand reach behind him for the coffee beans. "You were looking for these, right?" Papyrus nodded, a soft smile on his face. Sans took a step back, his gaze lingering on Papyrus for a second, before he turned to go back up the stairs. Long after the door had closed and there was the familiar squeak of Sans' bed, Papyrus stood, tense.

     Soft, drawn out snoring drifted from underneath the door, and Papyrus finally relaxed. Leaning against the door of the pantry, Papyrus ignored the thrumming of his soul. He took two cups from the cupboard and proceeded to pour fresh coffee into them. One of them he made just a bit too sweet but skipped creamer. The other was just sweet enough, with extra creamer.

     In front of them, in large, loopy cursive, lay two notes with the names Sans and Toriel. Proud of his work, Papyrus grabbed his coat and opened the door. The cool breeze of morning hit his bones, and he wondered if he'd make it back in time for sunrise. Nevertheless, he left the house, closing the door gently behind him.

     Papyrus pulled his scarf farther up his neck as the cold bit at his spine. It felt good in a way, but bad in another. Trying his best to ignore this and just focus on his walk, Papyrus picked up the pace.

     Sans was bound to wake up again, along with everyone else. What would they think if he wasn't there? He would have to go to the grocery store before returning. They needed more milk and a bunch of other stuff too anyway.Trying his best to ignore this and just focus on his walk, Papyrus picked up the pace. After about an hour of walking, Papyrus decided that he would go back in a second, after a quick rest.

     After about an hour of walking, Papyrus decided that he would go back in a second, after a quick rest. He found a pretty steep hill, and sat on it, leaning against one of the trees. Trees? There were no forests near the neighborhood. Disregarding the thought, Papyrus closed his eyes, sleep tugging on his eye lids. Just a little rest.




     Papyrus sat up at breakneck speed, yelping when he hit his head against a branch. He looked to the sky, scrunching up his nose when he saw the Sun was already halfway up the sky.

     Papyrus really wished he had his watch on him. He stood to his full height, brushing snow off of his shoulders, sneezing, he realized that he was damp. Grumbling about having to do the laundry in the first place, he slid down the hill with a certain kind of grace and began walking towards town again. 

     The store lady, Mrs. Marilyn, a nice human who was quite the talker, greeted Papyrus in the same way she always did. With a wave and a smile, but she stopped when she realized the condition Papyrus was in.

     She scuttled from behind the counter and led Papyrus by the hand to the back. He had been here a couple time before, so he didn't waste time looking at the walls, and the many paintings and people who hung near them. 

     The skeletal monster squeaked as he was pulled into a room off to the side. _Now, this was new._

     There was a coffee machine, a computer, and a potted Echo Flower on a small, tidy desk. The walls had a light blue wallpaper, with all kinds of flowers he couldn't put a finger on painted here and there. In the opposite corner from the desk, sat a sickly green couch, that strongly reminded Papyrus of the one in their living room back in the Underground. 

     He got a closer look at it as Mrs. Marilyn set him down on it, pulling a cover over his shoulders.

     "Darling, you're soaking wet!" She sat next to him, placing the back of her wrinkled hand against his skull. It was the slightest bit warmer than usual, barely noticeable to anyone who wasn't a skeleton, his brother, or Mrs. Marilyn. 

     Too bad this was Mrs. Marilyn. 

     "I-I'm fine." Papyrus mumbled, noticing how not fine he was with every passing second.

     Mrs. Marilyn shook her head, putting on her captain obvious hat for a couple seconds.

     "You, Papyrus, are _anything_ but alright. Look at yourself! You're shaking like a leaf, you've been out in that cold for an hour, soaking wet for all I know, and you look like you haven't slept in _days_!" The little old lady hardly yelled, and she hardly ever called Papyrus, well, Papyrus. The yelling increased the pounding in his skull, and he wondered when that got there.

     He decided to stay silent, looking away from her and pulling the cover closer around his form, He didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't feel like having her talk about it either.

     She sighed, hopping up with an urgency you didn't see often from humans her age. She drifted over to the tidy desk, which Papyrus now noticed had a pink phone and her name on a little stand. He felt like slapping himself with how unobservant he was. 

     "Sweetheart, what's your brother's number?" She asked, picking up the handheld phone.

     Papyrus smiled, still shaking and tired and hungry and in pain, but happy to help. He knew the number by heart after all. "I-It's 299, 335, 7746--" Papyrus stopped, standing up, about to question her on why she needed the number. However, the second he took a single step forward, he felt the world flip on its axis. He wanted to throw up and sleep at the same time, and he suddenly was craving something sweet. 

     It happened in a few seconds, all of this.

     He saw Mrs. Marilyn drop the phone, he heard his brother say something, something that was probably important. He felt the nice lady pick him up and lay him on the couch, whispering soothing words to him. But it was all too far, just out of place. Who exactly was she again? How did she get in the underground? There were too many questions, too much of anything, it was picking at him slowly, breaking him down bit by bit. It was a different kind of pain, one he wasn't familiar with. His soul fluttered in his ribcage, and he had the strangest craving for something savory now. 

     The last thing he saw was... The last thing he remembered he saw was... The last thing he thought he remembered that he remembered that he thought he had seen that he had-- What was it again?

     He was sleepy. Who was he again? Who were these people again?

They were no one, he remembered.

Just nice people passing by, he thought. 

I'm tired, he remembered.

 

 


	2. Skyfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woah, Flowey? Being nice??? What has the world come to.

     Papyrus' eyes flickered open. The entire room seemed to sigh in relief. His skull felt like someone was relentlessly bashing it in with a hammer, and he wished he could go back to sleep. He sat up, only for a gentle hand to push him back down. When he looked to see who had done it, he saw a flash of blue and heard the door close. 

     "You've been asleep for half a day Papyrus," Flowey mumbled. Papyrus sighed, wanting to crawl under his covers. He liked Flowey, and he was happy to have them so close, but his skull was pounding and he didn't want to hear anything right now.

     But he did want to know what the heck happened. 

     Flowey happily obliged. "Sans got a call from that human lady you're always hanging out with, and when she dropped the phone he teleported. He gave everyone quite a scare," Flowey smiled, "I would've loved to see it." Papyrus looked away from the flower, he had forgotten to take them out of his room.

     "But it's okay, just seeing that _Smiley Trashbag_ staring at you the whole time was enough for me." Papyrus squinted, not in accusation, but because Flowey had raised his tone just enough for it to hurt.

     "It feels like I have the worst hangover." Papyrus winced, his jaw ached-- no, that was his everything. With a sigh he pulled the covers back over him, trying to force himself to go back to sleep. It didn't work. How did Sans do it so easily?

     "Papyrus, could you set my pot on the floor? I'm going to go tell everyone you're awake." Flowey offered a bit too kindly.

     Papyrus smiled, closing his eyes. "If I set you down you're going to run away. Besides, you can get down yourself." It was a bit cold for Papyrus, but it was the truth. Flowey raised two leaves, winking.

     "Guilty as charged." The flower easily used his vines to set himself on the floor, before exiting using the door just as easily. 

     Papyrus winced and smiled at the same time as someone screamed. Dear God. There were strong footsteps approaching-- fast. Not today, anything but today--

     His mental prayers did nothing to stop his bestie, (and most likely murderer in this situation,) Undyne from jumping upon him and giving him a noogie that should've hurt a lot more, considering, y'know, bones. "You NERD! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Oh yes. Yelling.

     Papyrus laughed, trying his very best to ignore the pounding in his skull and the fact that this very moment made him wish he was. "N-not yet, Undyne." His voice was quieter, a lot quieter than usual, and Undyne almost apologized for yelling before she was turned blue.

     She wasn't exactly thrown, per se, it was more flung. Either way, she hit the wall with a smile. Frisk heard the thump and stuck their head out from behind Sans. When they saw Papyrus sitting up, they smiled and waved a little. Papyrus was grateful for the silent greeting-- even if it came through screaming and hissing and magic being thrust this way and that.

     The room grew quiet, and Papyrus looked to the door. "Oh, hello Lady Toriel." Papyrus waved, so thankful for the peace and quiet. Flowey appeared and set himself in Papyrus' lap. Papyrus made a mental note to give him a sticker later. 

     The kind goatwoman sat on the edge of the bed, her voice soft and motherly. "Hello, Papyrus. How are you feeling?" 

     "I am alright. I just have a bit of a headache." Papyrus kept his own voice soft, his words slightly hindered. He had barely said a few sentences, and he already felt as if he was losing his voice.

     Toriel cupped her hand around his face and felt his temperature. She couldn't really tell, but she believed he felt normal. "I'll go make you some tea. While I'm gone, won't you all be a bit quieter?" 

     Sans shrugged, he hadn't been talking in the first place. Undyne gave a quiet(and slightly guilty), "Yes, your highness," and Frisk gave a thumbs up. Flowey didn't do a thing, but he wasn't going to do anything anyway.

     When she left the room everyone went to back to fussing over Papyrus, quieter this time. He smiled softly, feeling a bit exhausted when they came up to him with.

     "Sorry," and "Are you hungry," "Are you hot," "Are you cold," and Papyrus could only hope to keep up with it all. They soon realized his energy levels were low and Left the room. (Undyne had to be dragged)

     Papyrus flopped down on his bed, a soft sound in all honesty. He closed his eyes, pushing his face further into the pillow. Papyrus cleared his mind, smiling softly as the pounding in his skull ebbed away, bit by bit. He was already knee-deep in sleep when Toriel came in with the tea.

     He tried to thank her, but only a mumble escaped Papyrus' teeth. She smiled at him and set the tea down beside him. It would probably be cold when he woke up.




     Papyrus was falling. He flailed, reaching for something-- anything. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything, but he knew that something was coming towards him. His eyes light up with orange, and he felt two hands grip his shoulder. 

     Two more hands grabbed Papyrus' arms, and one lifted up his chin. They were brimming with magic. But he was still falling. He looked up, and sucked in a breath.

     Another skeleton, one goopy, that reminded him of the amalgamates, stared into him. No, not at him, _into him_. 

     It said something, something that Papyrus felt he shouldn't be hearing.

     " _ ~~Don't Forget.~~_ " 

     Papyrus was left there, falling. 

     He didn't move, he didn't say a word. He didn't breath, he didn't blink--

-

-

-

     Papyrus let out a yelp as he hit the floor, the pounding in his skull was back, and it had brought friends. Hello, aches and pains. Wait no, they were already there.

     His door opened, and Sans peeked in, looking at Papyrus with a mix of worry and confusion. 

     "You, uh, alright there bro?" The sound felt odd and distorted, and when Papyrus looked up he didn't see his brother at all.

     Whatever that was, was not his brother. " ~~ _Stay away from me!_~~ " Papyrus summoned bones, not controlling their patterns, their strength, just desperate to fend off this... Thing.

     Sans barely dodged, one of them clipping his hood. He stared a Papyrus for a second, then at the hallway. Just as Papyrus was preparing another attack, Sans ran down the hallway and practically kicked Undyne's door down.

     She sat up, a scowl on he face. "Skeleton I s-"

     Sans teleported her into the hallway and sped-talked Undyne through the situation. "So I think Pap might've had a bad dream and he's gone kind of insane haha, please turn him green for a second." 

     Still half-asleep, she could only manage a "D'wah?" But the attack that narrowly missed her cheek woke her up enough. 

     Papyrus felt the familiar sensation of stick jelly filling his bones, dangit. Green. He didn't even need to look at his soul. 

     A spear whooshed over his shoulder, nicking it and pinning him to the wall. Papyrus almost cursed.

     "Alright. Papyrus, you know I love you, but you need to calm the hell down." Papyrus looked up in fear, expecting to see some kind of amalgamated version of his bestie, but his shoulders sagged when he just saw her and her permanently scarred eye.

     Something hit the covers. Papyrus looked down, frowning as he saw the red droplet of blood seep into the expensive fabric.

     He looked to Undyne, whimpering when he saw the cut on her cheek. "Did I...?" Undyne quickly pressed a hand to the cut, looking away from him. 

     "This old thing? I just reopened it when I threw the spear!" She gave her iconic, "FUFUFUFUFUFU" and tried for a valiant stance, which she failed, valiantly, since she was really just epically tired. It was four in the morning. Papyrus laughed softly and pushed himself off the bed. 

     "I'll go make some coffee." He pushed his door away from him, ignoring the spears sticking through it. He trudged down the stairs and switched on the coffee machine. 

     While the coffee brewed, he looked into an empty cup. What had he almost done?


End file.
